First, a word from the publisher: after a secretive agency in New York is invaded by an otherworldly threat, you become the new Director struggling to regain Control. From developer Remedy Entertainment, this supernatural 3rd person action-adventure will challenge you to master the combination of supernatural abilities, modifiable loadouts and reactive environments while fighting through a deep and unpredictable world.
Pros:
- The game’s premise is awesome. (TL/DR: investigate an SCP-like organization as a psychic badass.) If that sounds interesting to you, this game is worth a look.
- The core gameplay loop is fun, and certain actions are immensely satisfying. For example, sending an enemy’s missile back at them basically never got old.
- Both the game’s protagonist and her weapons can be upgraded and customized to better fit the player’s individual approach to the game. This includes a number of unlockable powers, like a “superhero landing,” style attack in which the protagonist dive-bombs an enemy.
- The protagonist’s look can be customized to a certain extent. (With that being said, the new outfits are not unlocked until far too late in the game.)
- Certain settings of the game are inspired. This includes the Ashtray Hotel, which stands as one of the best sections of the game.
- The game features a smattering of full-motion video (FMV) cutscenes. This generally adds to the experience, but has the (likely unintended) consequence of making the in-game character models seem a touch “uncanny” as a result.
- There is a fair amount of post-game content. This includes side quests, the “Jukebox” missions, and more.
Cons:
- The game can be a bit glitchy at times. This was especially prevalent in certain sections of the map, with some enemies and other assets not spawning correctly (if at all).
- EX: The “Jukebox” Mission, where there were supposed to be multiple waves of enemies, but only 3 enemies in total spawned.
- EX: The Safe Room hallway leading to the anchor
- There is some obvious slow-down in areas with lots of enemies / explosions, even on my PS4 Pro. Oddly, there is also consistently a few seconds of slowdown after pausing and unpausing the game.
- The weapon variety is only OK. The game covers all of the usual bases (e.g. pistol, machine gun, shotgun, grenade launcher, sniper rifle), but it is unlikely to wow or surprise.
- The enemy variety is also only OK. Though different enemy types do require different strategies to defeat, the need for these strategies decreased as the game went on (and my character became more powerful).
- Unfortunately, this also applies to the bosses. Too many of them are just beefier versions of regular enemy types.
- The game offers little in terms of waypoints (beyond scattered fast travel locations). This often made finding specific areas and objectives more difficult. It makes some sense as a means to increase immersion, but I found myself annoyed more often than not.
- The game’s puzzles are one-note (e.g. the Motel). After you figure out the first one, the next few do little to mix up the formula. Luckily, said puzzles only appear sparingly and do not disrupt the game’s flow too much.
- Some of the side missions are glorified fetch quests (aka annoying time-wasters); this includes the mold missions, talking to plants, etc.
- I was frustrated by the number of times I died by never-ending pit, especially toward the end of the game.
- I found the game’s ending to be anti-climatic. Though certain key details are revealed, the main issues of the plot (aka the antagonists) are still present.
- (SPOILER) Mechanically, there is no big, “final confrontation.” To be frank, some of the sub-bosses from the game’s side missions were more challenging than the final sequence of the game.
- (Nit-Pick) The game’s generic title can me it a touch harder to find guides / FAQs about the game
- (Nit-Pick) Even though the game gave me a number of cool traversal powers, I never felt pushed to use them in combat (and/or to their full potential). I am listing this as a nit-pick because I could’ve made the choice to do this without the game’s prodding.
- (Nit-Pick) I wish there was a way to carry more weapon mods.
Conclusion:
I liked the game enough to finish it. Even though there are numerous, “pain points,” they never stopped me from moving the story forward. At most, they were a temporary distraction.
The game is not perfect, and I felt particularly let down by the story. With that being said, I think the premise, atmosphere, supporting characters, and core gameplay loop go a long way toward keeping the game interesting. Ultimately, if the idea of playing an “SCP” style game as a super-powered psychic sounds interesting to you, this game is definitely worth a look (especially if you can get it on sale).
Check it out here.
You may also enjoy…
- “The Outer Worlds,” by Obsidian Entertainment
- “Mass Effect: Legendary Edition,” by Bioware
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